Who We Are

The Scottish Police Authority is independent of both the Scottish Government and policing. It is the primary governance body for policing in Scotland, and was established as a public body on 1 April 2013 by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. It was set up to hold the Chief Constable to account; promote, support and oversee improvement in policing. It is also responsible for the management and delivery of Forensic Services in Scotland and Independent Custody Visiting Scotland.

In this section, find out more about the Authority’s priorities, the Board and the Leadership team.

Who We Are

What We Do

The Scottish Police Authority is responsible for maintaining policing. It has four specific areas of responsibility:

promoting the policing principles

supporting continuous improvement

keeping policing under review

holding the Chief Constable to account.

This section tells you in outline what the Authority does.

What We Do

Complaints

Are you dissatisfied with the service you have received from policing in Scotland?

The Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and the Police Investigations and Reviews Commissioner (PIRC) all have a role to play in considering complaints about policing in Scotland.

In this section, find out who to direct your complaint to. We also welcome written communication in Gaelic (see our Gaelic Language Plan).

Complaints

Garry Forsyth KPM

Garry Forsyth KPM joined the Board of the Scottish Police Authority in January 2026.

He retired from policing as Chief Constable of Bedfordshire in 2023 following a career in six different forces around the UK. Garry was one of the UK’s Counter Terror Commanders, and a highly experienced Gold Commander for Public Order, Firearms and Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CBRN).

Garry was also one of the Gold Commanders for the Olympic Games. He has an excellent understanding of managing risk and extensive experience in leading large scale change and transformation programmes. He was awarded the King’s Police Medal in 2023 for distinguished services to policing.

Garry is also an independent member of the Parole Board Review Committee for England and Wales.

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Garry Forsyth KPM